Rebuilding
by MetomorpherSalmalin
Summary: With Voldemort dead, and the death eaters on the run, Harry and his friends have the chance to be themselves and discover lives they never thought possible before the war. Cannon relationships but stay tuned for the career change-up! Rated for later chapters
1. Chapter 1 (prologue included)

**Authors note: This is my version of how the characters lives went after the battle for Hogwarts. I have no end in mind so it should be a long one. All relationships are cannon but the careers take a slightly different tack. Many of my ideas come from tumblr prompts so thank you to all the fandom for their wonderful inspiration. As usual, all credit to our Queen.**

 **Each chapter will be from one character's perspective, I may stay on certain people more than others, feedback is definitely welcome.**

 **Prologue**

Ginny opened her eyes and immediately regretted it, even from the partial sanctuary of the Gryffindor common room, she could hear the sound of huge blocks of stone grinding against each other. _(Hogwarts is collapsing)_ she thought _(maybe if I can sleep through it it won't have really happened)_ she scrunched her eyes tight closed and turned to bury herself deeper in the warm cushion at her side...

Only it wasn't a cushion, it was a human.

confused, she opened her eyes to see Harry's face, more relaxed now in sleep than she had ever seen it in waking.

She struggled to recall the events of the last 24 hours. Fuzzily she remembered falling into his arms as he staggered down the stairs with Ron and Hermione after racing off for one final task..

 _(I must remember to ask him about that... I must remember to ask him about a lot of things)_ she corrected herself ruefully.

After holding him for what seemed like forever but not long enough she loosened her grip somewhat and they reluctantly stepped back from each other. "I need to..." Harry croaked starting toward the great hall "Help?" Ginny inquired sarcastically "You need to sleep, preferably in a bed." And in true Mrs Weasley fashion she began to frog march the exhausted yet miraculously awake man to Gryffindor tower.

As she lay there, she felt guilty, as if it were selfish of her to keep the golden boy to herself but in this moment she didn't regret stealing those few precious minutes (and apparently, the last few hours) with this man who had given so much and taken so little for himself. She smiled sadly as she remembered his weak protests against rest.

"I can help repair some walls or set up beds" he slurred, trying to redirect her.

"It will be far safer for everyone if you keep your wand in your pants, mister" she quipped, silently thanking Merlin that he wasn't with it enough to register the double entendre.

Finally managing to manhandle a disgruntled Harry through the portrait hole, Ginny scanned the common room, considering her next move. Despite having been at Hogwarts all this year she didn't feel at home taking either her bed or Harry's old one for the tired hero. She settled on choosing their favorite sofa. Knowing complex transfiguration was beyond her at this point she restricted herself to lengthening and widening the plush seat so it could generously fit Harry's lean frame.

Conjuring some blankets she sat Harry down on his modified bed and bent down to begin unlacing his trainers _(How have the not dissolved of his feet already?)_ she pondered noting their lack of any discernible colour under the layers of grime. Having finished that almost toxic task she took his wand and neck pouch, removed his glasses and set them safely aside, out of reach of nightmare induced thrashing.

By now Harry was barely holding his own head up and was swaying alarmingly, she steadied his shoulders and eased him down onto the welcoming sofa. He sighed with exhaustion and immediately closed his eyes but as she began to withdraw, his hand caught hers.

"Ginn.." he murmured

"Turning to alcohol this early in life is hardly healthy." she murmured while warming on the inside at his use of her nickname.

"I can't… I don't… I need to hold you." She froze and melted all at once, was this a need for comfort, or something stronger. When they dated in her fifth year they could talk about anything except a future together, it seemed impossible and selfish with the looming war. She always suspected that he felt strongly about her but could never find the words.

She felt a familiar stinging resentment that had come to associate with his embrace _(Was Voldemort the only obstacle in our relationship, or just a surprisingly convenient excuse?)_ She immediately chided herself for indulging in such petty thoughts _(If nothing else, he's my friend and he needs my comfort)_ She put a lock on her emotions for the sake of her thankfully ache free head and surrendered to Harry's gentle but persistent tugging for her to join him. As her head touched the pillow, all the exhaustion she had been stubbornly ignoring rushed up to meet her and she barely had the energy to kick off her shoes before burrowing into the chest of the boy who lived and plummeting into sleep.

 **Chapter 1**

Moving as slowly as possible, Ginny eased herself back until she was able to look at Harry's face without straining. The features that were so familiar to her had been marred somewhat in his their time apart by multiple small bruises and grazes. She noted his tan and a few freckles that she had only seen on him when he spent the summer at the burrow playing quidditch everyday _(he must have been outside a lot to get freckles in winter)_ the redhead mused.

As if hearing her thoughts had interrupted his slumber, Harry stirred, turning slightly and mumbling something into the cushions.

"Mmmh?"

"I said, what time is it?"

"No idea but the sun is only just up" Ginny smiled as a single, green eye emerged from the pillow to gaze groggily at her.

"Did yesterday happen?" asked Harry hesitantly. With an uncomfortable mix of contentment and sorrow Ginny nodded, smiling wanly.

"Where is everyone?"

Again, the redhead smiled, this time with more warmth,

"I fell asleep at the same time as you so your guess is as good as mine." The other eye appeared along with a hand to wipe away the sleep that had gathered in his waterline.

"You're all fuzzy." Chuckling slightly Ginny fumbled for her wand and summoned Harry's glasses and wand. Harry murmured his thanks and donned his glasses before settling back on the pillow, twirling his wand between absent fingers.

"What's that noise?" He said after a moment or two of silence, bringing Ginny's attention once more to the grinding and clattering of stone that woke her.

"Beats me." Ginny was becoming increasingly aware of the fact that they were in fact in bed together.

Before she could properly plan her escape, Harry turned to her with alarming speed, making her draw in a sharp breath.

"I never stopped thinking about you." This was almost too quick for the flustered girl to catch but somehow she managed to gather herself enough to comprehend him.

This confession was almost too much for Ginny, the girl with six older brothers, the girl who never cried if she could help it. She closed her eyes for a second and pictured her patronus, an image that almost never failed to ground her.

"I guess your birthday present was successful then." She said wryly not quite meeting his eyes. A look of confusion flashed across Harry's face before realisation dawned and he laughed.

"I'd appreciate it if you put Ron strait on that one, he still thinks that was my idea."

"He should know by now that no one makes me do anything I don't want to," Ginny said primly, doing her best phlegm hair toss, "just ask the Carrows." Harry's expression saddened slightly as he reached out to touch her proud chin, Ginny held her breath almost scared she would frighten him off. Harry had never been good with vocalising his emotions and there was no way she was ruining this now.

Smiling softly Harry began to trace her jaw as Ginny fought against the urge to sigh and lean in to his hand.

"I'm not going to ask you how you're doing because I know that's too big for right now," He began, choosing his words with care, as scared as she was that he might burst this beautiful bubble he had found himself in, "are you hurt at all?" He finally inquired, concern tinting his features. Ginny laughed slightly at the seeming triviality of his question and shook her head.

"Nothing a Madame Pomfrey can't fix in a heartbeat, what about you? You look half starved."

Smiling affectionately at her Mollyism he also chuckled.

"Half starved seems to be my fall back point so I don't think I'm doing too bad."

He moved his hand into her hair and this time Ginny couldn't help herself. She closed her eyes and arched her neck into his touch, causing his fingers to slip behind her ear. As she was losing herself to the comfort of his hand, she heard her name as if from far away.

"Ginny."

Furrowing her brow, she forced her still tired eyes open.

Green met Brown. Moving with almost unbearable slowness Harry brought his face closer to hers. Torn, Ginny couldn't decide where her eyes should go, should they stay looking into his glorious eyes or should she break his gaze and find his lips so there was no mistaking that she wanted them as close to hers as possible.

It turned out Harry needed no encouragement and Ginny found her eyes closing once more as their lips met. Irrationally, her brain scrambled to think of how long it had been since their last kiss on his birthday _(It must have been a century ago, how else could it feel so right?)_ She sighed and shuffled herself closer, tangling their legs together while not breaking their gentle kiss. Harry's hand left her neck and skimmed itself down her body until finding the back of her thigh. As if reading each other's minds, they both shifted slightly, causing the kiss to deepen. Ginny traced her tongue languidly across Harry's top lip and he responded by squeezing her thigh slightly and bringing it across his hips so that she was half straddling him.

As his hand began to skim upwards to find her bottom, they were interrupted by the portrait hole opening and the raucous sound of Ron calling the people following him.

"If they're not awake, they should be, Flitwick wants to take a roll call, Pomfrey is handing out pepper up like it's the cure for dragon pox and while I love a good meal, if Professor Sprout offers me another scone, I will throw myself off what's left of the astronomy tower!" He was so distracted by his witticism that he fumbled his entrance and teetered for just enough time for the surprised pair to jolt apart and assume more neutral poses.

They joined in with Hermione's laughter as she said with no small measure of dryness,

"You'll have better luck jumping from the top of Flitwick's head after what the giants have done to it!" Entering the common room far more gracefully than her best friend had. Turning to Harry and Ginny, she smiled warmly and trotted over to take one of the plush cushions by the fire. It was at this point that Ginny noticed that their expanded sofa was an island in a sea of various settees, sleeping mats and other comfortable arrangements obviously conjured or transfigured to suit their now absent occupants.

Brought back to the present reality, Ginny remembered her concerns, she turned to Hermione in the hopes of some answers.

"What is all that racket? It sounds like the giants are still having their way."

Smiling wryly, she replied over Harry and Ron's chuckles "It's Flitwick and his army of "charmers" repairing the main stairways. I was helping until I was sent to find you two." She exchanged an amused glance with Ron "It seems we didn't need to be worried about you two wandering off."

Harry blushed and adjusted his glasses while Ron tried to look amused and disapproving simultaneously.

Unperturbed Ginny replied breezily "Well, you've found us where you left us, what's next?"

"Madame Pomfrey needs to give everyone the all clear before reporting to Percy to see what needs to be done," The brunette took a breath before continuing "Although I'm under orders to keep your duties light." having finished she bit her lip, determinedly staying looking at Ginny, avoiding Harry's eye. Ginny could have predicted every word that came out of his mouth next.

"I deserve light duty equally, maybe less, than everyone here, I made this mess," Said Harry, raising a hand to prevent the three of them interrupting, "I know they fought by choice too, but I will not work any less than I can. I want to, this is the next stage of the war, rebuilding the world he ruined." Ginny held back an affectionate giggle as he gazed around defiantly at them.

Knowing the uselessness of arguing, Ginny fished around for a new topic of conversation.

"So what's the story with you two?" She inquired of her brother and her best friend, "It's about time." Smirking, Hermione raised her eyebrow at the now blushing redhead, leaving him to answer.

"Well, it's like Harry said," Ron stuttered hesitantly, "It's about rebuilding, we can do all we couldn't with war hanging over us." looking proud of himself, he glanced at his best friend now girlfriend and saw her smiling and nodding with the same pride.

A thrill of hope rushed through Ginny as she watched her friends being truly happy for the first time in too long. Without any one of them deciding, they stood and made their way out of the common room. Unable to help herself, Ginny let out a giggle,

"I hope Pomfrey doesn't keep us too long, or I'll jump off Flitwick's head from _lack_ of scones."

As they passed, the rubble filled hallways seemed less dim for the laughter coming from the four friends.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: This is my first fanfiction so I would love your feedback, tell me what I can do to make this story be the best it can be. I will be switching perspectives sometimes but it will be for whole chapters at a time to be less confusing :)**

 **as usual, our queen owns all!**

 **Chapter 2**

For Ginny, looking back, the next few weeks were a blur of repairs tinged with a watercolour of emotions as she reconnected with friends, bonded with family and was introduced to many big names in the wizarding world. The magic community wanted to know everything about the young war heroes but the Order of the Phoenix, recognizing the grieving process that rebuilding Hogwarts provided, staved off the public eye for as long as possible.

Waking up one day at the crack of dawn, Ginny was about to get up and get ready for another day of rebuilding when she realized she was in her room at the Burrow. When she peered, squinting over her blankets she saw a cot with Hermione lying fast asleep. Not wanting to disturb her friend and keen for her first sleep in in months, Ginny rolled over, pulling the covers back in place.

After lying there for what felt like hours, Ginny was resigned to the fact that she wouldn't be going back to , she slipped out of bed and with the ease of many years practice, made her way down into the kitchen without a sound.

Upon her arrival in the kitchen, she was met with the sight of a tired looking Bill and Percy with their heads over a piece of paper that was charmed to be edited by wand.

"Wass goin on?" Ginny mumbled, pouring herself some tea and adding plenty of milk and sugar just how she liked it.

"Just finalizing some arrangements." Breezed Percy in his usual way. Bill, sensing Ginny's need to be more informed filled in the blanks.

"The Order has been asked to oversee the funeral arrangements for those lost in the war." Ginny pursed her lips, she always knew this time would come, she had selfishly hoped that she might miss the bulk of the funerals by getting involved in the clean up but now realised her mistake in forgetting that the bulk of the mourners were helping alongside her.

Knowing that Ginny would not want to be babied, Bill continued briskly

"Because many of us would be attending multiple funerals in a very short space of time if they were done separately, we think the burials should be private affairs and a larger, memorial service should be held where the families can meet and pay their respects en masse. There will be an unveiling of plaques with all their names and short obituaries for each." Bill looked down at his scrawled notes glumly,

"it's not enough, I know, but we can't drag the families through something long and drawn out, they must be able to grieve in peace."

Ginny spent a few minutes after Bill had finished talking gazing out the window, gathering her thoughts before she nodded.

"We can't drag this out, we'd never get past it and live the lives that they died for." She was proud of herself for not allowing her voice to catch, that was to be saved for the day they buried Fred, and then when they mourned with the other families. Bill gave her a small smile and lifted his arm so she could lean into his side.

The whole rest of that day was spent relaxing, playing wizard's chess, jinxing gnomes or just enjoying the sunshine, gathering their strength for the coming week. It would begin the next day when they would bury Fred in the Weasley family cemetery and end 5 days later when they attended the memorial service at Hogwarts on the Saturday.

When Ginny opened her eyes the next day, she wished she could go sit quietly next to Fred and not have to tell him how much this sucked because he always understood. Fred had a smile that he kept just for his little sister in whom he could see a piece of himself. Ginny closed her eyes and took a moment to lock that smile in her memory, terrified it might slip away if she wasn't careful.

The image of her older brother was so strong in her mind that, for a moment, she could hear his laugh ring through the Burrow as a pair of feet stomped down the stairs.

"Merlin, cat! You're lucky I don't skin you right now!" Ginny laughed quietly to herself at Ron's antics and rolled out of bed to get ready to face the day.

The only thing that kept her upright that day was people's hands: Harry's, Bill's, her parents, George's. They kept each other upright with their hands, shoulders and arms. Ginny had given up trying not to cry when she had gone downstairs to see her mother being soothed by Fleur about her choice not to wear black. Mrs Weasley had opted to wear somber charcoal dress robes accented by an exquisite brooch of flowers formed out of skiving snackbox wrappers.

Soon, all three women were hiccoughing with tears and laughter at the memory of Fred's best and worst moments.

"Wassgonon?" Mumbled a bleary eyed George as he stumbled through the kitchen door in search of coffee. The laughter died out quickly at the sight of the solitary twin and the group looked at anything but each other, trying to gauge how to handle the grieving brother.

Noticing the sudden silence, George peered over the rim of his coffee mug and pointedly met Ginny's eyes.

"What's going on?" He tried again, speaking chirpily, as if inquiring about a wacky tie. Ginny, hesitated a second longer before crumpling into laughter, attempting to relay to George between gasps a time when she had caught Fred practicing some one-liners with gnomes for an audience.

The tension in the room dissolved as George started snickering, saying that the only reason he was practicing on the gnomes was because Bill and Charlie had been giving him shit for using the mirror.

The rest of the morning was spent in a similar fashion, everyone crying but with smiles on their face as they remembered their brother, son and friend. After breakfast was cleared the family finished getting ready and gathered to make the small hike to the cemetery. As they reached their destination they were joined by Lee Jordan and Angelina Johnson and more tears were shed and more stories shared.

Ginny, who's face had been covered by a sheen of tears since she first entered the kitchen found herself blindly reaching out and gripping the hand that found hers. Without looking she gripped it harder knowing the feel of her boyfriend's hand by heart. Although she was no longer smiling, she felt a little stronger knowing she could fall apart if he was there to hold her.

There were no poems recited or songs sung as Fred's body was lowered into the grave, only quiet words murmured by each as the payed their respects. Before the dirt was shovelled on a joke book was laid on the knitted sweater clad chest. In silence the group watched as George laid some Weasley Wizarding Wheezes fireworks at the base of the headstone.

As the pyrotechnics lit the sky, the mourners watched with silent tears running down their faces until their tears had turned to laughter at the enchanted sparklers spelling out choice swear words.

The weary group trudged back to the Burrow for light dinner before gathering in the lounge with a bottle of firewhiskey to share their favourite Fred moments.

Ginny laughed and cried with the rest the warmth of her brother's memory and the strength of her family somewhat easing the ache in her chest. As the firewhiskey was passed around she found herself seated between Harry and George, leaning on them alternately, both finding and giving comfort to each.

George was mostly silent through the stories, only adding details when necessary and chuckling quietly along with everyone raucous laughter. He went to bed earlier than the rest and nobody stopped him, just wished him a good night warmly. Mr Weasley listened quietly at the bottom of the stairs to make sure he reached his room alright, before returning to top up everyone glasses.

Finding herself in her bed the next morning, Ginny had no memory of how she got there and was concerned for a second that she had drunk too much. The lack of pounding headache indicated that she hadn't so she looked to Hermione for the answer.

The older girl was already awake and braiding her hair at Ginny's vanity mirror. Seeing Ginny's confusion she explained that she had fallen asleep on Harry and had been carried up to her room by him before being changed into her pyjamas by her mother. This made sense to Ginny because her last memory from the night was being curled up like a cat with her head in Harry's lap, listening to her family and friends talking quietly as her boyfriend stroked her hair.

She smiled at the thought of Harry's support of her yesterday. She knew that Harry had been good friends with Fred and that although he had accepted each of the dead's sacrifice, he still felt partly responsible for their deaths. That was just who Harry was, selfless to a fault, he would put of his mourning to hold up one of the bereaved.

As she got showered and dressed she contemplated the 4 days until the memorial service and was grateful that she would have time to recuperate before then. About to dress in some practical shorts, she reconsidered and took the opportunity to wear something feminine without having to worry about potential wand fights and going into hiding. She picked out a sundress made out of a floaty white material with green and yellow flowers printed on it.

The look on Harry's face when entered the kitchen confirmed that she had made the right choice. Giggling, she grabbed some buttered toast and bacon to create some bacon butties and skipped into the garden calling out for the rest of them to follow her. Summer was upon them and she had spent too long without those she loved to waste a minute longer.

 **Thankyou guys so much for reading! I'm going to try for a chapter a week but I don't know how reliable the inspiration gods are going to be.**

 **A few comment on why I did Fred funeral the way I did: A lot of post war ffs I have read have gotten bogged down in the mourning of the dead and I feel that slows the flow of the story too much.**

 **Also I think that the sorrow of losing Fred and the others is so great that spending whole paragraphs on describing an elaborate funeral and making everyone uncontrollable with grief cheapens it slightly.**

 **Please send me your thoughts on how it is going so far and stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I am very pleased that this story is well received! I honestly thought only my friends would read this but I'm getting hundreds of views so I'm stoked!**

 **It's looking like I might focus mainly on Ginny's perspective (I've always identified with her character) but they are soon going to be in separate places so we'll see what happens then :)**

 **Chapter 3**

"What are you doing you weirdo?" Harry's yell rang out across the yard as Ginny's head bent in even deeper concentration.

"Harry, I swear to Merlin, if you make me mess this up you will be a virgin for ever." She growled as she applied the finishing touches and sat back on her heels, nodding in satisfaction.

"What is it?"

"It's a present."

"For who?"

"Luna." Harry leaned closer, inspecting the contraption but no apparent use sprung to mind.

"I don't get it." Ginny sighed and tapped a panel with her wand. The thing sprung to life, whirring and chirping.

"Well first off, it's adorable," said Ginny, gazing affectionately at her creation. "But mainly, it's enchanted to adapt to her needs. For example, this surface here is for her to mix her paints on and it could potentially help her get the same shade consistently or, given an example, mix new shades for her."

"Wow, you made that yourself?" Harry could see many other parts to the machine and could only imagine how many uses it would have, especially in the hands of one so creative as Luna.

"Hermione helped iron out a few kinks but yeah," replied Ginny shrugging "Luna and I always joked that she needed ten extra hands for all the ideas she had going at once."

"What's the occasion?" Ginny giggled at the question, causing Harry to look at her bemusedly.

"There is none, I'm just going to anonymously send it to her and see if she figures it out." Harry sighed at his girlfriend's crazy sense of humour and slung his arm around her shoulder.

"I will never understand you, Weasley." Ginny leaned her head against his shoulder, relishing the feeling after so long without it.

"That's the idea, Potter."

The last few days had been draining on everyone's emotions, even with Bill and Percy's organizing, people had still attended multiple funerals. The memorial service had been well thought out and had gone smoothly, Ginny had almost been dehydrated by the end of it because of all the tears shed.

After all the official mourning was over, the wizarding world shifted into celebration mode and the four friends had attended many parties where they were the unwilling centres of attention.

Ginny could tell that this was hard on Harry who, after all he had been through, needed a little bit more normalcy.

Today was the first quiet day in a while the group were taking a well deserved breather. Suddenly filled with relief at the peace and quiet, Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry's waist. As he glanced down at her she flicked her wand sending Luna's contraption on it's way and leaned up to kiss him.

The sun became twice as warm and bright as his lips met hers, and when his hand cupped her face she thought she might actually melt. The war had stolen many things from her but Harry hadn't been one of them. She kept her eyes closed as he drew back and rested his forehead against hers.

"Andromeda will be dropping Teddy off soon." He murmured and laughed as Ginny squealed in delight.

"I get to cuddle Teddy, I get to cuddle Teddy!" Ginny kept chanting as she pranced across the yard, heading inside to change into clean clothes.

"He's my godson!" She heard Harry call out behind her as she rushed into the cool kitchen.

"Whatever, he likes me best!" Ginny retorted, grabbing a freshly baked cookie from the cooling rack and dancing up the stairs.

When she came downstairs, Andromeda was having tea with Mrs Weasley and Teddy had already been claimed by Hermione who was holding up different pictures so that the giggling baby could shift to mimic what he saw. Ginny settled down beside the brunette and laughed as Teddy changed his hair to perfectly match Ginny's.

She spent the whole rest of the afternoon entertaining Teddy and watching Harry bond with his godson. Despite how tiring babysitting was, they all protested when Andromeda came to take her grandson away and only cheered up again when they were told he would be coming around again in three days. After dinner, they mucked around in the living room until a knock on the door interrupted a particularly rowdy hand of exploding snap.

The four friends sobered up as they saw Professor McGonagall and Kingsley Shacklebolt entering the room. They began to get up to leave the room but Mr and Mrs Weasley stopped them, indicating that they should stay. Ginny wondered why she was included in this discussion when it had always been just the golden trio, she felt quite pleased with herself as she settled down on the couch next to Harry.

"I'm sure this conversation will come as no surprise" began Mcgonagall as the Harry, Ron and Ginny looked confused and Hermione sat up a little straighter.

Kingsley, noticing the three bemused faces, chuckled quietly and clarified.

"We are here to talk about your futures." as realisation dawned, he continued "It must have become clear to you all when you attended many of those parties that the wizarding world is keen to know what your future will hold." Ginny inwardly groaned as she remembered the exhausting amounts of reporters, business people and gossips who had insisted on inquiring about every detail of each of their lives. She had been surprised that she had been included in the frenzy but people must have caught wind of her relationship with Harry as well as her involvement in much of the resistance at Hogwarts.

"There are many directions each of your careers could take." McGonagall fixed them each with a serious look, "I cannot stress enough how many opportunities have opened themselves to you as a result of your achievements." her face was warmed by a rare smile as she considered each of her pupils with pride.

Her attention shifted to Harry and Ron "Are the two of you still set on your plans to become aurors?" when they both nodded enthusiastically she continued "The choice is yours then, whether you finish your final year at Hogwarts or enter training right away," She glanced at Kingsley "The auror department usually only accepts people who have achieved outstanding OWLs in the required subjects. However, considering the circumstances, the two of you will be granted an exception to that rule."

The two men exchanged excited looks and said without hesitation and in perfect unison "When do we start?" Kingsley laughed at their enthusiasm and drew two stacks of paper from a satchel

"Initial trials start on Monday week. If you pass those then you will begin full training the following week." He fixed each of them with a firm look "Aside from the leniency in the entry criteria, you will be considered as regular trainees so expect no special treatment." Harry and Ron nodded solemnly as the took the proffered forms.

McGonagall then then turned to the two women and Ginny felt a jolt of apprehension in her gut.

"This offer stands for the two of you as well but seeing as neither of you has expressed any interest in this career path, am I right in assuming that this isn't something you plan to pursue." When both women confirmed this, she continued "I would strongly recommend that you, Miss Weasley continue at Hogwarts for your final year, considering the interruptions your sixth year was subjected to." Ginny smiled ruefully and nodded.

"I'm still not entirely sure what I want to do with my life so that would probably be wise." McGonagall nodded briskly and raised an eyebrow at the final person on the couch.

Hermione had been biting her lip the whole time and before McGonagall could address her, she blurted out.

"I would like to attend my final year at Hogwarts also."

"You do realise, Miss Granger, that even without your incredible contribution towards ending the war that your grades have been so impressive that any employer would beg to have you." Hermione blushed at her Professor's words and shook her head.

"I still feel like there is so much more to learn and I still haven't figured out what direction I want to take. S.P.E.W. still needs a lot more work before it starts making impact and the demands of a job might inhibit my efforts in that area." As she paused to take a breath, she glanced around definitely, expecting to see incredulity on her friends faces but only finding respect.

"Very well, Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, I look forward to your continued presence at Hogwarts." McGonagall looked at Mr and Mrs Weasley and seeing their approval of the choices made, began to gather her things. Kingsley, however, didn't make any move to leave, instead addressed Hermione.

"Miss Granger, I was wondering if you realised the severe illegality of the obliviate charm you performed on your parent's last year."

Hermione's expression shifted to one of pain and Ron slipped an arm around her shoulder, looking warningly at the Minister for Magic.

"I was aware, Minister," Hermione began, placing a reassuring hand on her boyfriend's knee. "However, I felt I was left without a choice, considering the circumstances." Kingsley nodded solemnly, regarding the young women in front of him.

"Considering the circumstances, I have decided to step in on your behalf and prevent charges from being placed." His expression softened somewhat. "I have sent the ministries best team of confunders to retrieve them and restore their memories. This is all done with the understanding that no further exceptions will be given in regards to you and the statute of secrecy or any other wizarding law you may break." Hermione nodded furiously and rushed to embrace the stately man, stuttering her thanks between tears.

That night, as they prepared for bed, Ginny and Hermione speculated excitedly about what their year would be like now that they were in the same year.

"It's going to be great sharing a dorm with you." said Hermione as Ginny came back from washing her face in the bathroom.

"I'll finally have you as a study buddy all to myself!" Ginny added gleefully, twisting her long hair into a messy bun and flopping onto her bed.

When they had exhausted themselves with chatter, they settled down to sleep and Ginny was left alone with her thoughts. She truly had no idea what she wanted to do after Hogwarts and she found it quite daunting that her friends seemed so sure of themselves. She staved of the panic threatening to engulf her by reassuring herself that she had a another whole year before she had to make up her mind. Feeling slightly less worried, she allowed herself to slip into the deep sleep that had been calling to her since dinner.

 **I wrote this chapter so fast! It's like this story has been waiting inside me for so long and now that I'm finally writing it, I can't type fast enough! Please review because I love to hear from you guys and I want to know how I can improve! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sup homies!**

 **Sorry for the delay in this chapter! There is no real excuse so I won't offer one, just enjoy the chapter :)**

 **I tried something new and wrote from Ron's perspective**

 **Chapter 4**

"By Merlin's ancient, saggy bollocks!"

The involuntary outburst surprisingly did not come from Ron but from his best friend.

The two trainee aurors were running through a heavily wooded area and had just tackled their way through a particularly tangled patch of branches, resulting in severe panting and the uncharacteristic swearing from the shorter man.

The reason for the cross country excursion was the next tier in their training, Ron tried not to grind his teeth as he recalled their trainer yelling after the group as it set off

"Sweat builds character and character builds aurors!"

It was her belief that mastery over one's physical self was essential in mastery of one's magical abilities.

Resentful as Ron was towards anything that made him ache the next day, he couldn't help being impressed by the great leaps and bounds he was making in both his academic and practical grasp of magic. He also wasn't complaining that this gave him an excuse to eat as much as he liked without any great effect on his form.

As the trail opened up, the friends shifted into an easy lope, they had known each other for so long that keeping pace was second nature.

"As I was saying, Harry." Ron continued as his breath came back to him. "The Burrow is so crowded these days that we might as well make Grimmauld place a permanent shift."

In the boys spare time (which was sparse at best) they had been revisiting previous attempts to make Harry's property liveable. Harry had combined his wealth with his inheritance from Sirius and was investing in the services of some professionals to remove the historic paintings and paraphernalia and transport them to various historians and collectors.

"I mean, think about it this way, if we are living there it will be easier to get a feel for what needs to be done and it would take a heap of travel time off from us bouncing in between."

"Mate, why are you still talking about this? I said I agreed with you" Panted Harry, who was taking two steps for every one that Ron took. At the same moment they glanced sideways at each other and grinned in boyish excitement.

Ron kept grinning as they jogged on and couldn't help thinking excitedly of the future that seemed laid out before him. Even as an auror in training, his wage was decent enough that he was comfortable sharing the everyday expenses of living with Harry and not feel like a charity case.

He glanced down at his watch and did some quick maths, "We need to up our pace if we are going to reach the checkpoint on time" He said, Harry nodded and they both gritted their teeth and pumped their legs faster.

Ron looked up from the the twisted roots that were speeding past his feet and scanned the trees ahead, watching for any sign of…

"There!" Exclaimed Harry, his seeker eyes spotting the bottle moments before Ron

With a relieved woop Ron doubled his speed and scooped up the seemingly ordinary bottle and extended his arm so Harry could put a hand on it.

No sooner had this happened than it began to glow and vibrate and with the familiar, gut-wrenching feeling, the pair were whisked into oblivion.

"Well done, Weasley, Potter, I thought that last one might get you." Wheddit spared them a curt smile and jotted down their passing mark on her clipboard.

"That portkey was set 40 seconds earlier than what was on my schedule!" Gasped Ron who was steadying himself on Harry as his best friend did the same on him.

"A smart strategist always works in spare time, and is ready for nasty surprises" Wheedit said shortly and turned to await the next pair of trainees, "Drink some water, Weasley a smart strategist stays hydrated."

Ron suppressed a chuckle as he and Harry collected cups of clear water, gulped them down and strolled back into the aurors complex. This was as close to a joke as Senior Auror Wheddit ever got and her compliments were rare but always well deserved.

The derision that many directed towards Wheddit (though never to her face) was not understood by Ron who greatly admired their training master. Myrdania Wheddit was a deceivingly petite witch whose sinewy form was hidden by the loose fitting breeches, cotton shirt and flowing, brown over robe which was the unofficial uniform of aurors.

While many criticized her apparent harshness and still others called her a blood traitor for not favouring the old wizarding families, Ron responded well to her authority and was learning a lot about justice when he saw her quietly challenge the status quo.

Under Wheddit's strict eye, Ron's natural ability to strategize had blossomed into a whole set of skills in the tactical realm. He was particularly good at knowing the skills and strong points of his whole team and arranging them to work best in many, if not all, scenarios.

This new sense of direction and the resulting confidence in his own abilities had meant that he no longer felt the need to tear anyone else down and any remaining jealousy of Harry had dissolved

Into a jovial competitiveness with his best friend that was generally laughable because of their vastly different strengths and areas of focus.

"I've been wondering something, mate" Harry said thoughtfully as they reached their shared desk space in the large bullpen. Ron jerked his head to indicate he was listening as he began to fill out his report for the last training session.

"Well, I don't know what to do about Kreacher." Ron looked up, bemused, he hadn't thought about the house elf's role, he had just assumed the old guy would stick around in grimmauld place out of habit. "I know it would be easier just to keep him" continued Harry, as he also filled out his report, "but I don't really want to own him forever and I think we can manage pretty well for ourselves without him."

"I want him to be doing what he _wants_ to be doing without feeling obligated to anyone." Harry finished, frustratedly, looking at his best friend for ideas.

"I see your point mate," Ron said and paused as he turned the problem over in his mind.

"It's a fine example we'd be for Hermione if we didn't protect your house elf's rights." He said chuckling mirthlessly, Harry responded with a wry smile and they again lapsed into silence, both scribbling on to note pads.

"There's really only one thing to do" said Ron abruptly tapping his notepad as he finished and the finished report zoomed away to find Whedit's desk. Harry hummed in response, looking at his friend quizzically. "Ask Kreacher." said Ron simply and bowled on as Harry opened his mouth to protest. "I know he will probably say he wants to stay and serve you but the only way we can truly know what he wants is by asking him and by deciding without him what is best for him, we are part of the problem."

"I suppose we just have to trust that he knows what he wants." Harry paused, "And it's not up to us to decide he doesn't."

"Precisely, mate." Ron nodded solemnly as he began to gather his things together "Now let's get out of here before we miss dinner." Harry laughed as he followed the ginger to the apparation point, Molly Weasley would definitely miss having Ron (also known as the greatest appreciator of her food) around and she never missed an opportunity to try and fatten Harry up.

 **Thanks for tuning in! I feel very strongly about Ron's value to the whole thing. People often see him as redundant comic relief but he is such a powerful strategist and encourager that he would be a terrific Aurour!**

 **In terms of a timeline, this is about 2 months after the battle for Hogwarts (May 2nd) so its the beginning of July. See ya'll next time!**


End file.
